Cable connecter



Oct. 25, 193. N. A.YTORNBLOM CABLE CONNECTER 7 Filed A rilze, 19:57

FEE:-

Patented Oct. 25, 1938 PATENT. OFFICE 2,134,655 7 CABLE CONNECTER Nils A. Tornblom, Chicago, pleton' Electric Company,

Application April 29,

2 Claims.

A means for connecting cables to connection boxes, that has long been widely used, consists of a sleeve adapted to be secured to the wall of a box, and a U-shaped clamp; one arm of the clamp lying within the outer or free end of the sleeve and the other arm being on the exterior; both arms extending lengthwise of the sleeve and a wall of the sleeve being, of course, positioned between the arms. A screw passes freely through the outer arm and through a screw-threaded opening in the underlying wall of the sleeve, the inner end of the screw being adapted to engage with the inner arm of the clamp and press it down against a cable or the like lying within the sleeve. It will be seen that there is no effective guiding or holding means for the clamp, aside from the loose connection between one arm thereof and the screw. One disadvantage of this is that if it is desired 20 to disconnect a cable and the clamping screw is insufficiently loosened, the inner arm of the clamp may be carried outwardly along with the cable, thereby distorting the clamp and requiring it to be bent back into shape before the same or another cable is again inserted in the sleeve.

The object of the present invention is to improve this old type of connecter so as to overcome the objection or disadvantage just noted and make it otherwise more satisfactory.

In carrying out my invention I so construct the clamp and the sleeve that the inner arm of the clamp is positively held against being pulled out with a cable engaged thereby, without interfering with the free movement of that arm from and toward the overlying wall when'this is permitted by the adjustment of the screw. In the preferred construction the wall overlying the inner arm is provided with one or more holes through which extend fingersfixed to the inner 40 arm of the clamp. The finger or fingers preferably lie at right angles to the arms and are therefore parallel with the screw when the parts are assembled. In this arrangement both arms of the clamp are anchored to the sleeve, the one by means of the screw, and the other by means of the finger or fingers, preventing the clamp from being shifted lengthwise of the sleeve and also holding the clamp in what may be termed a centered position.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken Ill., assignor to Apa corporation of Eli 1937, Serial No. 139,658 (Cl. 285-65) in connection with wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a connecter embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section through the connecter; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the sleeve; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the U-shaped clamp.

Referring to the drawing, i represents a sleeve adapted to be attached in any suitable manner to the wall of a box or. the like. Cooperating with the sleeve is a short, wide U-shaped clamp 2, the arms of which extend longitudinally of the sleeve, the arm 3 on the inside of the sleeve and the arm 4 on the outside. A screw 5 extends freely through a hole 6 in the arm 4 and through a screw-threaded hole I in the wall of the sleeve. The inner end of the screw is adapted to engage with the arm 3 of the clamp and force it against a cable or the like underlying the same within the sleeve. The construction as described up to this point is old and well known, the present invention having to do with interlocking the clamp and the sleeve soas to improve the action of the connecter. In the preferred form of the invention, I provide the arm 3 with two parallel fingers 8, 8 projecting at right angles therefrom toward the arm 4, these fingers lying on opposite sides of the screw when the parts are assembled. The wall of the sleeve has therein a pair of slots 9, 9 which may be entered by the fingers. The fingers may be made of such a length that the distance between the free ends of the fingers and the arm 4 is approximately equal to the thickness of the wall of the sleeve. Consequently, the clamp and the sleeve may be assembled by slipping theperforated section of the wall of the sleeve between the free ends of the fingers and the arm 4 and then inserting the screw. The clamp cannot rock far enough to bring the fingers out of registration. with the slots in the wall of the sleeve, sothat the clamp may at any time be lifted from its lowermost position as high as the screw will permit, even though the connecter should happen to be employed to hold a cable.

Whenever the connecter is holding a cable of any of the sizes for which it is adapted, the fingers extend into or through the slots in the wall of the sleeve and therefore anchor the inner arm in such a manner that it cannot be moved lengthwise of the sleeve and be pulled. out with a cable.

The clamp is conveniently made from a single piece of plate metal cut into the proper shape the accompanying drawing,

while flat and then bent or folded to give it its final form. Furthermore, the fingers may be located outwardly from the corresponding planes of the long edges of the arms of the clamp, thereby increasing the width or thickness of the clamp until it is almost as great as the little pocket It] by which the interior of the sleeve is enlarged to receive the leg 3 when the clamp is lifted to its upper limit.

It will be seen that the clamp costs no more than the old type of plain U shape, excepting only that it contains a very small additional amount of metal. However, the completed connecter is much more rugged, more effective in performing the intended functions and more easily operated, than is the old style.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A connecter comprising a sleeve, a U-shaped clamp having one arm within the sleeve and the other arm on the exterior of the sleeve with a Wall of the sleeve located between the arms, the outer arm of the clamp having a hole therein, a. screw passing freely through said hole and through and in screw-threaded relation to said wall for engagement with the inner arm of the clamp, said wall having a second hole therein, and a finger parallel to the screw fixed to the said inner arm and extending through said second hole.

2. A connecter comprising a sleeve, a U-shaped clamp having one arm within the sleeve and the other arm on the exterior of the sleeve with a wall of the sleeve located between the arms, the outer arm of the clamp having a hole therein, a screw passing freely through said hole and through and in screw-threaded relation to said wall for engagement with the inner arm of the clamp, said wall having two additional holes symmetrically disposed with respect to the screw hole, and two fingers fixed to the inner arm of the clamp and. extending through said two additional holes in parallel relation to the screw.

NILS A. TORNBLOM. 

